


The Longest Day

by AllTheTrueBeauty



Category: The Order (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Angst, angsty fluff, vermish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28555194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTheTrueBeauty/pseuds/AllTheTrueBeauty
Summary: Immediately following the events of Spring Outbreak, Vera and Hamish spend some time together...but it doesn't mean anything....right?
Relationships: Hamish Duke/Vera Stone
Comments: 16
Kudos: 57





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> When you really think about it, Vera and Hamish specifically went through quite a lot in the span of maybe two days. So of course, I had to explore the aftermath of all that in four parts that I'll roll out over the next few days.

“...more like blown off the hinges and landed 10 feet away,” Hamish said into his cellphone. After spending all afternoon trying to pinpoint where Alyssa Drake had gone with the Vade Mecum, he, Randall and Jack were at what Hamish had assured them was their last stop of the day, a modern looking house tucked on the edge of the woods on the opposite side of the Belgrave campus from the Den. 

“Whose house is this anyway?” Jack asked, peering inside. 

Randall shrugged, “Someone fancy from the looks of it.”

“Godammit!” came a familiar voice so loud that Hamish moved the phone away from his ear. 

“Is that…” Jack began before Randall interrupted him loudly.

“This is Vera’s house?!”

“Why don’t I call you back,” Hamish said quickly into the phone. “Yeah...yeah...I’ll make sure they don’t touch anything.” 

Replacing the phone in his jacket pocket, he dashed inside to find Randall walking around appraising everything with exaggerated nods while Jack lingered closer to the doorway. 

“Nice place, but a little messy don’t you think?” Randall said picking up a half finished piece of knitting that was in the middle of the floor. A wooden knitting needle clattered onto the floor. 

“Let’s try not to touch everything,” Hamish said, taking the knitting from Randall and setting it on the couch. He gathered up some nearby paperback books off the floor and replaced them on an end table. “We should put something over that doorway until someone can come replace the door.” 

“Doesn’t Vera have like protection spells or magical wards in place?” Jack asked, wandering a bit further into the house.

“Ye-I would assume so,” Hamish said.

“Assume so,” Randall echoed, making exaggerated air quotes with his fingers. “Just like you assumed knowing how to get here without GPS.”

“That barely makes sense,” Hamish replied. 

“Anyway,” Jack said with an eye roll. “Alyssa’s magic was seriously messed up. And even if it wasn’t, Vera’s security would be pretty powerful, right?”

Hamish nodded as he righted an overturned chair on his way to the kitchen. 

“So that means Alyssa wasn’t here alone,” Randall said, picking up the two nearly empty wine glasses on the table and clinking them together. 

It was dusk by the time they were back in the car. 

“Temple?” Jack asked from the driver’s seat.

In the passenger seat Hamish shook his head, “Nope, we’re calling it a day.”

“You sure?” Randall asked as Hamish’s phone lit up with a text message alert. 

“Yeah, not much we can do in the dark that can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Hamish’s attention, however, was already on the conversation on his phone.

VERA: Well?  
HAMISH: We put some plastic over the door. I’ve got a guy who can come fix it in the morning.  
VERA: You have a guy?

Before Hamish could reply, she added an emoji with a single raised eyebrow, and he bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

HAMISH: How long will it take to replace the wards?  
VERA: Too. Damn. Long.  
HAMISH: Dinner?

“Whatcha doing Ham Salad?’ Randall asked, leaning forward from the back seat to rest his chin on Hamish’s shoulder.

“Absolutely not,” Hamish replied as he watched three dots linger by Vera’s name, disappear and then reappear, only to disappear again. 

It wasn’t until they were back at the Den that his phone lit up again. 

VERA: Where?


	2. Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Vera, Vera, Vera....alternately the most fun to write and the most difficult because she's so in her own head all the time. Per my head cannon, the events of Spring Outbreak are what prompted Hamish and Vera to begin to realize that oops they might be a bit more than reluctant allies with sexy benefits.

What the hell was she doing? As she stopped at a red light nearing downtown Norwich, Vera nearly turned around and headed back to the temple. There was plenty of work to be done, more than enough to last her through the night until Hamish’s guy - she rolled her eyes- could fix the door Alyssa Drake and god knows who else had blown off the hinges. 

But when the light changed to green, she continued downtown. After all, if she was to spend the rest of the evening on both Order and university paperwork, she may as well eat now before her only option was the terrible all night pizza place that catered to drunk college students. The decision was entirely practical, she assured herself, and thankfully her phone ringing on the passenger seat kept her from musing further. 

When Vera pulled into the parking lot, she spotted Hamish getting out of his own car and parked next to him. Getting out of the car, she greeted him with a wave and pointed to her phone with an eye roll. 

“Gee, Bitsy it sounds like everyone’s having a great time, but the past 48 hours have been on par with an outing to hell and given that only a month ago we were fighting a demon, that’s saying a lot. So I’m going to pass.”

Kepler, she mouthed, and he nodded leaning against his car opposite Vera whose jaw had just dropped in reaction to whatever the Council member had just said. Even though it was just the two of them, she straightened up with a huff, and Hamish had to stop himself from grinning. 

“I’m sure everyone would like me more if I let loose, but between being nearly stripped of my title - thanks for that by the way - multiple assassination attempts…”

Hamish glanced at her, concerned. When had that happened? 

“...and a Homunculi Sangis infestation in my temple, nevermind that one of my disciples went rogue and robbed me, not the first time mind you…yeah, exactly, Bitsy. I do have a few things going on,” Vera said tapping the end call button emphatically. She put her phone in her jacket pocket with a sigh, “The Adepti and Council are all currently at cocktail lounge having a fucking afterparty.”

“That’s……” Hamish couldn’t find the right word.

“I know,” Vera said as they began to walk towards the building, but after a moment she stopped, frowning. “Where precisely are we?”

It was only then that Hamish realized he hadn’t specified beyond the address in his text, “Oh, uh, this is my place. Is that okay?”

Vera shrugged, “Sure...I just assumed you lived in that werewolf frat house.”

“Most of the time, yes, but I’ve had an apartment here for a while.” He paused trying to gauge her reaction, but Vera remained quiet. “There’s a Thai place a few blocks over that delivers so I figured we could do that, or we could--”

“No,” she said quickly. “That’s perfect.” 

They continued in silence as Vera reassured herself that this was, despite the new setting, a fairly typical evening for them: a casual dinner of takeout and whatever new bourbon concoction Hamish had managed to dream up, good (okay, great) sex, and then back to their individual concerns of life in academia and maintaining two secret societies begrudgingly collaborating. 

But something felt different. 

“Mr. Duke, surprised to see you here,” an unfamiliar voice called, interrupting Vera’s thoughts as they entered the building’s sleek lobby. 

“Come on Marvin, it’s Hamish,” he said smiling as he shook the hand of an older man wearing coveralls. “And this is Vera Stone. She’s the chancellor of Belgrave University.”

“Nice to meet you, Chancellor,” Marvin said with a kind smile. “Looking forward to seeing what those young ruffians did to your door.”

“Ah, you must be the, uhm, guy that Hamish mentioned he’d enlisted to help with repairs,” Vera said, shaking Marvin’s hand. 

“Always happy to pick up a side job here and there,” Marvin said. “It’s probably not as bad as it looks. Don’t imagine a fraternity prank did much damage besides the cosmetic.”

Vera raised an eyebrow at Hamish as he thanked Marvin repeatedly for his help and ushered Vera onto the elevator. 

“A fraternity prank?” she deadpanned as they stood next to each in the elevator. 

With wide exaggerated eyes, Hamish shrugged, and they both chuckled, their arms brushing lightly.

“Your apartment is the penthouse suite?” Vera turned slightly toward him with a raised eyebrow as the elevator chimed signaling their arrival. 

“Yeah,” Hamish said, gesturing for her to go first as they exited the elevator. He followed closely, resisting the urge to place his hand on her lower back. “It’s one of the perks of owning the building, I guess.”

Vera nodded, thankful he hadn’t seen her expression of surprise at this unexpected new detail. “And it explains how you knew exactly who to call for a broken door.”

As Hamish moved around her to unlock the door, he smirked, and Vera silently cursed the flutter in her chest when their eyes met.  
“You’ll have to forgive any dust,” he said.

“This is…” Vera trailed off as she walked into the apartment, immediately drawn to the large windows opening up to a balcony facing the water. “Impressive.”

Even though the sun had almost completely set, the lights from the city and the bustling riverscape were reflected on the water giving, from their vantage point on the 25th floor, the effects of colors rippling and dancing in the waves. Much like she had been in her office awaiting news of her fate from the Adepti, Vera stood perfectly still, but this time Hamish didn’t worry about coming to stand right behind her. Tentatively, he placed a hand on her shoulder, and almost surprisingly, he felt her relax a bit. 

Vera’s eyes drifted shut, and for a rare moment, she found herself perfectly relaxed by the quiet of their surroundings and the warmth of his proximity. But just as soon, reality and with it Praxis, the Adepti, and Alyssa’s seeming betrayal came rushing back to the forefront of her thoughts. She was the Grand Magus after all, and as such nights staring off into the horizon in the arms of her….whatever he was to her...simply weren’t part of the job description. A momentary indulgence, however, she would allow herself.

Turning to face Hamish, she captured his lips in a blistering kiss, savoring the satisfaction of both catching him totally off guard and the way he immediately pulled her closer. When they finally parted, she attempted her best Grand Magus voice to no avail and breathily said, “I believe you promised me dinner?”


	3. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took much longer than I anticipated to write, in part, because in one recap of the Spring Outbreak episodes, there was a theory that, although I think ultimately incorrect, made me radically rethink a super minor plot point (that is really barely in this fic, but I do love an opportunity to spend more time overthinking things than writing!).

“A lot of my usual ingredients are divided between the Den and the Temple, but I think you’ll like this,” Hamish said putting the finishing touches on the drink he was making.

After everything they had been through with Praxis and at the Temple, Vera was surprised that they had managed to laugh their way through dinner, swapping road trip stories - Hamish telling her of an ill-fated high school ski trip and she recounting the Belgrave Hysterical Society’s trip to Chicago with the goal of experiencing as many improv shows as possible the week before finals. Rare were the moments when her attention and conversation wasn’t solely focused on the Order, but as of late, those moments were entirely because of him. 

“You’re not drinking tonight.” 

It was more of a statement, an observation rather than a question as Hamish neared the couch with a single tumbler that he handed to Vera. 

“Yeah,” he began hesitantly, shrugging it off. “Just something I’m trying out.”

“I see,” she said gently, angling towards him as he sat next to her. “This is because of what you said earlier...in the reliquary?”

“About that….” 

Vera shook her head, “I shouldn’t have--”

“Too much, right?” He interrupted her.

“No,” she said emphatically, unable to look at him. “I admire your honesty...your timing does leave something to be desired.”

She finally glanced at him with a small reassuring smile.

“Noted,” Hamish said. “For the next time we’re in mortal danger.”

“The way things have been going, I give it between 36 and 72 hours.” Vera took a long sip of her drink. “This is very good by the way.”

He grinned, “I aim to please.”

This made her smile a bit more genuinely than she had intended. Thankfully another long sip from the tumbler provided a bit of cover. As she set the glass on the nearby coffee table, Vera’s grin turned a bit more mischievous, “You’re quite skilled at that.” 

Hamish leaned a little closer, “Mixology or --”

Vera closed the distance between them, kissing him eagerly. In one swift motion, Hamish pulled her onto his lap, and he could feel her smile against his lips. When their lip finally parted, it was his turn to smile at her happy sigh as he moved her hair to kiss her neck. It was then that he noticed something.

“Vera?”

“Hmmmm?”

“When...what happened?”

He felt her stiffened in his arms, staying perfectly still as she exhaled a rather shaky breath. He glanced up to look into her eyes, but they were squeezed shut. So he returned his gaze to the burn scars that, although her hair had hidden them from view, looked to stretch from her neck down to at least her shoulders.

Sliding the hand that had been in Hamish’s hair down to cup his cheek, Vera kissed him gently this time, sweetly. “I may have overestimated how quickly the regeneration spell would work.”

In truth she hadn’t estimated at all. Her initial priority had been to ensure she appeared ready and confident for the arrival of the Adepti; anything that wasn’t easily visible could be left to a less rapid and less painful regeneration spell. Such a spell, however, worked best when the person to be healed could spend time resting and letting the magic do its work, and for the first time since Foley had attacked her with the fire spell, Vera realized she wasn’t entirely sure when she had last slept. 

Hamish meanwhile was trying to juggle his own dismay with that of Tundra. It was rare for his hide to react to non magical threats, especially those not directed at its champion, and yet this was the second time in roughly a day that Tunda seemed as eager as Hamish to protect Vera. 

“Who did this?”

“Praxis lackey and sub-par Ethics professor Cameron Foley, of course,” Vera said with a bitter laugh. She was surprised, however, to feel the arm around her waist tighten as Hamish’s eye flashed silver for just a moment. 

“And he’s dead now so he won’t be causing us anymore problems,” she added, stroking his cheek with her thumb. Of course there were plenty of Praxis members left to cause them trouble, likely including Alyssa Drake who just happened to have one of the most powerful books of magic in the world. But Vera knew Hamish wasn’t naive - in fact it would be easier if she could simply distract him with a few reassuring words and a prolonged make out session, but not only would he not buy it, she respected him far too much for kind of brush off.

Instead she leaned into his embrace with a defeated sigh, nestling her head into the crook of his neck. She could feel him relax a bit too, but Hamish hesitated, ghosting his fingers just above the scars on her neck.

“They’ll probably be gone by morning,” Vera said, catching his hand with hers and interlacing their fingers. She closed her eyes briefly but instead of enjoying the moment, she felt dread creep into the pit of her stomach as she mentally repeated a very familiar refrain: what the hell was she doing?

Sex was one thing, but this….what was this? 

Vera was about to extract herself from his arms, a hurried excuse as to why she ought to be getting back to the Temple on the tip of her tongue, when Hamish lifted their hands and placed the softest kiss on the back of hers. And everything else melted away.


	4. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't planned on tying this in with Radical Honesty's forthcoming new chapters (yes, that's plural), but it just kind of happened....

The gentle chime of a text message pierced the quiet morning. Opening one eye, Hamish glanced at the bedside table, trying to gauge whether he could reach his phone. 

“Was that yours or mine?” Vera murmured, not bothering to open her eyes. 

“Mine, I think.” 

Leaning slightly, he could read enough of the text message to report, “Marvin has your door fixed.”

“Okay.” 

Hamish couldn’t help but grin as Vera snuggled closer to him, almost completely back asleep. An early riser by nature and especially since he hadn’t drank the night before, he had awoken about an hour earlier, genuinely surprised that she was still there. 

Up to this point, they hadn’t spent an entire night together. The closest they had come was a week after the ordeal with the Prometheans. Vera was nearly back to herself, but Jack was still withdrawing from the Egregore, seemingly getting worse not better. That particular night had been bad enough that Randall hadn’t bothered to tease Hamish when he said they should call Vera. Not surprisingly, she had been at the Temple and came over immediately, commendeering Hamish’s bar to brew a potion to help Jack rest. The two of them ended up sitting together for several hours, side by side on the staircase while Jack slept in his room upstairs and Randall dozed on the couch a few feet away. 

Thinking back on that night, it was, perhaps, when Hamish had begun to realize that whatever was happening between him and Vera wasn’t just, as he had told Randall, “an end of the world thing.” 

Now as he brushed a few strands of hair from Vera’s face, Hamish found himself thinking that the happiness he had spoken of in the reliquary might be achieved simply by waking up next to her every morning.

“It’s entirely too early to be smiling like that.” Vera grumbled, managing to sound far more sultry than intimidating. 

Hamish chuckled, “Vera, it’s already 10:30.”

She sighed, sitting up a bit, “Hand me my phone?”

He obliged and as she frowned, scrolling through a series of messages, he began to rub her shoulders, relieved to see that the burn scars had, indeed, disappeared. “Everything okay?”

Vera nodded, “Bitsy’s after-party turned into brunch.”

She angled her phone so he could see one of many selfies of Kepler and someone who looked identical to Jason Priestley, each holding a bloody mary with what Hamish deemed far too many garnishes. 

“There’s nearly an entire meal on top of that drink,” he said looking at the skewer holding an olive, a strip of bacon and what he was pretty sure may have been a mini-grilled cheese.

Vera chuckled and clicked her phone off, but after a moment her smile fell. 

“You need to get to the Temple, don’t you?” Hamish said softly. 

She nodded, “The longer the Vade Mecum is unaccounted for, the more potential it has to do harm.”

Planting a soft kiss on her lips and another on her forehead, Hamish got up, saying “I’ll make some coffee.”

“Thank you.”

Sighing to herself, Vera considered what they had both endured the past few days and what might be ahead given Alyssa’s betrayal, Praxis’ continued threat and the Council’s less than stellar opinion of her leadership. It was daunting, and yet she felt renewed in her determination and certainly more rested than she had in years. 

Watching Hamish return with two cups of coffee and feeling a now familiar flutter in her chest at his smile, Vera returned to the prior night’s question of just what the hell they were doing -- and realized that for now, she was okay not knowing the answer.


End file.
